Refrigerator



Patenteci Feb. 10, 1942...

UNITED s*nvras PATENT OFFICE REFRIGEBATOR Lolifs William Reinken am! Jacob Suter Jammer, London, England, asslgnors to Internat fonaI Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N. Y.

Aiiplication September 13, 1939, Se'rial N6. 294,648 In Gl'eat Bri tain September 16, 1938 factory am: ofIsen rinconvenient to keep opening the door of the refrigerator to stir the contehts of the freezing chamber and in any case snc'h a procedure might result in unsatisfactory ice cream which requires Steady stirring rather than an irregular Intermittent.beating. An object of this invention is to provide a household rgafrigerator in which continuous stirring of the contents of a container' disposed therein may be efiected.

According to the invention we provide a household refrigerator into .which projects anelectrically operated stirring device arranged 110 effect stirring of the contents of a container disposed therein. Preferably the stirring devic'e projects into a specia1 freezing chamber disposed in the refrigerator. The stirring device may comprise a shaft provide with laterally projecting stirring 3 arms, hereinafter referred I;o as. paddles, arranged and shapea to give a thrust along the shaft during stirring. An electric motor may be conveniently disposed adjacentto the ref rigerator, t'or example, it may be securedto the back thereof and this motor, which may be geared down, 15 arranged in operatibn to drive the stirring shaft carrying the paddles'. The motor may be startet! by depressing a suitable swit'ch after placing the container in position within the freez- Ing chamber. The switch may be an ordinary increastas as the ice cream thickens' until a point is reached at which the outward thrust is suf'ficient} to operate the switcli to st op the motor.

In one particular embodiment the motor and toggle action switch may be disposed above the -refrigerator outside the. casing thereof with the stirring shaft projecting downwardly into the L freez'ing 'chamber. A container of ice cream mixture is placed inpo'sition, a suitable support being provided in the freezing chamber, and the toggle switch dep'rcssed to start; the motor after which stirrin'g of the -ice cream continues until the upward thrust due to the paddles is suflicient 190 overcome the pul1 of gravity on the shaft and paddles or the pull of gravity and the force of a 'tensional spring which may be attached to the shaft to move the shaft upwardly to operate the toggle switch thus opening "uhe motdr circuit.

The paddles must give an efiective area fo. stirring and should 1f automatic .shutofi is desired (for making ice cream for example), have suitable angles to develop the required thrust.

In order that the invention may be clearly understod and readily carried into effect reference is now directed I:o the aizcompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front view of a household refrigerator embodying the invention with the .door of the refrig rator open and Figure 2 is a 'detail sectional view of the mechanism for operating the stirring device drawn 1:0 an enlarged scale Figure' 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of Figure 2.

Referring first to Figure 1, it will be observed that the refrigerator indicat ed 'generally by the referenc(a l is provided iziternally there'ofwith a freezing chamber A in which an ice cream ebntainer 2 is disposed and into which a stirring device 3 proj ects, an elect ric motor 5 (see Fig. 2) for operating the stirring device 3 being housed within a casing I disposed at the top of the refrigerator I. In Figure 2 the operating mechanism is shown in detail and it will be noted that the armatu1e of the electric motor 5 is provided a1: one end thereof with a. warm 6 to mesh with a. wenn wheel I upon the upper end of the shaft 8 of the stir- .I;he shaft 8, which is, therefore, slidable relatively to the worm wheel I.

The housing 4 is provided in ."the upper wal1 J;hereof with a toggle action s witch I2 the Oper-I ating lever I3 of which is disposed ax ially above the upper end of the shaft 8 and a spring coutro1led push button I3 ispmvided, depression of which moves the operating 1eVer I3 intoits downward position to complete the electric circuit of the motor 5. As shown generally in Figure 1 and in detail in Figure 2 the shaft 8 is provided aI: its lower end with paddles I5 which form stirreps for ice creamor thelike within the coutainer 2, the paddles being prefera.bly anangpd and shaped i;o impa.rt a. thrust iongitudinaliy ot the sha.it and towards the toggie switch I2 during stirring.

The sha ft 8 extends through a. ca.sing l. which in the example shown is secured to the umlerside 01 the top 01 the refrigerator and is provided with a collar i'l upon which rests a spring I2 coi1ed wund the shafi: 8 and limited a1: its upper end by a collar I 9 which looseiy surrounds the shafl; 8 and forms one end cf a lever secured to 9. stub shafl: 2l which extends through the casing IG. Ii: will be nndersbood Irom the above that the tipward thrust longitudinally 01 the shaft. has to overcome both gravity and the spring I8 before moving the shatt 8 upwardly so that a certain predetermined oonsistency must be attained by the icecream or the like in the container before the motor is stopped. It will on the other hand be appreciated that the thrust due to two pints 015 ice cream or the liks will, for a given consistency. be greatex thsn the thrust due to a single'pint 01 ice creaxn or the iike unless the position o1! the paddles hasbeen adjusted. In order to overcome this diflculty the stub shaft 2I is provided with a. pointer 22 adaptedto be moved over'a scale marked on the outside of the casing l i. In operation the pointer 22 should be set at the required calibration which will have the 'ei!ect 01 setting the upper collar l! a.t the correct position so that the greater the amount 01 ice cream or the like to be prepared the greater is the compression o! the spring in order to compensate tor the schied thrust due t0 the additiongi nmonnt 01 ice crgam or the 1ike in the container 2.

In operation let it be supposed that the couta.iner 2 filled with ice cream mixirure is in positioh in the freezing chamber A and that the pointnar 22 is als the positioning the upper collar I2 correctiy relativelyto the spring I8. 'Ihe push buttom II is then depressed operating the lever I2 o! the tosg1e switch I2 and completing the electric circuit i:o start the motor B, whic h through its arma.ture and wenn 2 meshing with wenn wheei l rotates the shait 8 and begins to eflect stix-ring 02 the oontents o! the container. As the freezing pronasses the consistency o! the ice crea.m or the like thickens and the u; wa.rd thrust on the shatt increases with the resuit that the shaflz is urged slowiy upwards against the force o! gravity and the action 01 the spring I8 und! the upper end o! the shaft 8 strikes against the lever i! o! the toggie switch and moves it into its upward or neu-operative position thus breaking the eiectric circuit and stopping the motor.

What is clained is:

1. A reifrigerator comprisin a. container, reirigeratinz means tot coolins said container, and a stirring device eomprising a. rotatable shafla. lateralLv projecting paddies an said shatt. sa.id paddles nein: within said container and said shaft beim; longitudinaliy movable during rotatiou by pressure on said pnddles, and mea;ns i.'or driving said shait.

2. A retrigerabor comprising a container', refrigerating means tot cooiing sa.id container, a. stirring devioe comprising a. rotatabie shit, laterally projecting paddies on said shait. said paddies beim; within said container and said shafl= being iongitudinaliy movabie during rotstion by presaure an said psddim. and. mes.ns ior drivin aa.id shaft. nndfswitch mach in the path correct ca.libration thus 01 longitudinal movemenb o! said shaft, seid switch meqhanism being operabed by longitudina1 movement 012 said shafl: to stop said driving means.

3. A ref rigerator comprising a freezing chamher. 9. container for receiving a. mixture to be frozen in said chamber. a. rota.table stirring shaft extending downwardly into said container, laterally projecting paddles on said shatt. said shaft being longituginally movable during rotation thereot and said paddles being shaped to impart an upward thrust 120 said shaft while stirring a. mixture in said Container, an electric motor drivably connected with said shaft and a switch for operating said motor having an operating 1ever disp0sed axialiy above sa.id shaft whereby said switch is operated by upward movement of seid shaft to stop said motor.

4. A reirigerator ha.ving Wall portions and comprising a Ireezing chamber, a container for receiving a. mixture 1:0 be frozen in said chamber, a casing attached to one o! said wa1l portions, a rotatable stirring shafl; extending through said casing and downwardly into sa.id container, a. spring coiled around said shatt within'said casing a first collar attached to said shaft and secured 130 the downward end 015 said spring, an adjustable colla.r secured to the other end 01 saigl spring and sli dably mounted on said shatt, means for adjusting the position 01 'said adjustable coliar on sa.id shait, laberally projecting -paddles on said shatt, said shafl: bing longitudinally movable during rotation thereot and said padd1es being shaped in: impart an upward thrust to said shatt whiie stirring a. mixture in said coni;ainer, an electric motor drivably connected with said shaft, and. a switch for operating seid motor ha.ving an operating 1ever disposed axialiy above said sha.ft whereby seid switch is operated by upward moyement o; said shaft to stsop said l motor. 1

5. A rei'rigerator having wall portions and comprising a. container reffigerating means for 'cooling said container, a. casing attached to one 01 said wall portions; a. rotatabie stirring shafi: exi;ending through sa.id casing and into said coutainer,n spring coiled around said shaft within said ca.sing, a. first collar attached to said shai't and secured to one end o! said spring, an adjustable collar secured to the other end o! said spring -and slidabiy mounted on said shaft, means tor acijusting said adjustable c'ollar along said shatt comprising a. stub shait extending through sa.id casing. a firsis lever within said casing flx'ed at one end to sa.id shaft and a.t the other end to saicl adjustable collar, and a second lever outside said ca.sing fixed at one end to seid shatt and Iorming a pointer a.t the other end, laternily projecting paddies on said shatt, -said paddles being within sa.id container and said shait being iongitudinally movable during I'Ot8- tion by pressure on said paddles. and means for driving said shatt.

6. A refrigerabor according to claim 3, char- Hberised in this. that the eiectxic motor is housed within a. casing secured to the outside o1 the retrigeraior.

7. A refrigerator according to claim 3, characterised in this, thai: the niotor armature is geared to the upper end 01 the sha.it and tha.ts

the shafl: is axially movable geistively 00 its gear LOUIS REINKEN. JACOB GUTER J. 

